


Showdown

by Littlejaybird94



Series: The Alchemist Twins [1]
Category: Young Avengers
Genre: M/M, More tags when I'm not transferring work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-03
Updated: 2012-08-03
Packaged: 2017-11-11 08:18:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/476509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Littlejaybird94/pseuds/Littlejaybird94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU// In which William is sick and Thomas is in desperate need of money to pay for his treatment. He resorts to setting Theodore up in a Skrull-fighting ring.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Showdown

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one shot for Fujo on tumblr, since this verse is now my gift to her. Because she gives me happy feelings and makes me want to write it. This is the first things I have written for my AlchemistTwins!Verse in which the twins, Thomas and William are searching for their mother, the Scarlet Witch after leaving the safety of their wealthy Grandfather’s mansion. Dorrek, or Theodore, is their Pack-Skrull. His role is kind of a cross between as Ox and a Dog. Anyway, enjoy?

Here was the deal. Thomas needed money, and fast. He, William and the Skrull had been surviving off what they could catch in he forest and since that episode with the bandits, resulting in all three of them plummeting off a cliff into an ice-cold, rushing river, William’s health had taken a turn for the worse. He knew his brother was hell bent on convincing him there was nothing wrong, but every time the dark haired boy averted his gaze, Thomas could see how pale his face had become and the faint but visible sheen of sweat that had taken permanent residence on his skin. Thomas would observe how his brother’s jaw would tighten and his breathing would hitch as he tried to conjure even the tiniest amount of magic, his eyes fluttering as if he was staring into the sun.

He wasn’t the only one to notice. Theodore had taken to walking directly behind William, gently nudging the smaller human with his shoulder as his pace began to slow or he tripped over his own feet in exhaustion. The worry on the Skrull’s face was evident, and whilst William slept fitfully, cradled in his huge arms at night, as Thomas prepared for the next day, Theodore would stare at the other boy, his eyes pleading him to find help. This made Thomas feel like dirt. Sure he didn’t like the affection the pair showed each other, or the fact the Skrull picked up on Billy’s needs and moods just as quickly as he did, but he knew the creature cared for his brother and hated watching him suffer just as much as he did. He just didn’t know what to do about his brother’s health.

Of course he had offered to slow the pace and even, at one stage, offered to stay at camp for a day to allow William to gather his strength, but William had refused. He shook his head, dark rings around his eyes and limbs lightly trembling.

“We can’t stay in a place longer than a day, Thomas. You know that, its too dangerous. I’m fine, just a bit tired.”

Thomas had bitten his lip and reluctantly nodded, but the softness of his expression disappeared almost instantly as he began to think of the best way to go about travelling from now on. Theodore had suggested William sat on his back with the rest of the supplies, but the spell-caster wouldn’t have it.

“I’m just worn out, not dying Teddy…” He had said, pushing the other’s large green arm weakly.

But it was the coughing that finally broke it for Thomas. The wet, rattling bark that sounded from deep in William’s chest had roused him from sleep as efficiently as a bucket of ice water, making him shiver all the same. He knew that sound and it meant anything but good. Theodore was already awake of course, his massive arms curled around William’s smaller body, holding him to his chest as if the embrace would be some kind of miracle cure. His face was tight with fear for the human. He couldn’t adapt to the conditions around him and his immune system couldn’t eliminate the bacterial threat as quickly as Theodore’s body could.

“Master, please,” He was speaking out of place to the white haired boy, but he didn’t care for Thomas’ disapproving looks or sharp comments about him ‘remembering his place’. His other master, William, the boy who had understood and looked beyond his species and collar, his friend, was in his arms surely dying and he didn’t want to wait any longer. “He needs help, and he needs it now. Please can we find someone who practices medicine, someone who might know a cure. Please, he needs it.

“I’m aware Theodore, believe me when I say that.” Thomas hissed through gritted teeth. His brow was set in a deep frown and his chest tightened in concern. He tilted his head to trying to get a closer look at his brother but Theodore instantly tightened his grip, not intentionally of course, and as soon as the Skrull realized what he had done, his eyes widened and he opened his mouth to apologize. Thomas just stared up at him, the seriousness in his voice void of anger, rather echoing as a tone of authority he had heard from his Grandfather.

“Let me see him.”

Theodore averted his eyes and bowed his head, holding his arms out so Thomas could see the boy he had been holding so protectively. William’s face was deathly pale and sweat glistened on his forehead, soaking the strands of hair and causing them to stick to his skin. The dark rings around his eyes were even more prominent and his cheeks were losing their youthful fullness. His arms rested weakly on his chest and his calves, despite being slung over Theodore’s biceps, were tense.

Thomas felt his stomach churn and his heart skip as he felt panic flood his veins. William’s pained expression cut his like a knife and he could feel the Skrull’s gaze on him as he thought of the best course of action. He had to have a plan; he always had a plan.

“William,” his voice shook despite himself as he leant over his sibling, pushing hair off his forehead. “Just hold on, okay? It’s going to be okay.”

He stood, refusing to make eye contact with Theodore as he turned around and collected his belongings. He put out the fire, tied his sleeping roll and blankets together and walked over, Theodore having already shifted so his back was facing the white haired teen so he could fasten the bags to his back. Luckily, Thomas had only taken his things off the Skrull’s harness when they stopped, having been too preoccupied with his own thoughts to remove William’s.

He stood, gesturing with to Theodore with a nod of his head to follow him. William still cuddled to his chest Theodore followed, standing on his back legs so he could hold securely with his large forearms. Thomas had seen no point in asking the Skrull to put William down. His was beyond consciousness and was too heavy for Thomas. Besides, Theodore was more at ease with the boy in his arms.

Unfortunately that wouldn’t be for much longer.

“We’re going to take William to an apothecary and request he stays there.” Thomas said, eyes fixed on the road in front of them, leading them into the town they had hoped to avoid. As he spoke, he pulled out a beaten, old looking woolen hat and tugged it onto his head, pushing his white hair up into it and out of view. Once that was done, he adjusted it so it sat over his eyebrows. He had to attract as little attention to himself as he could.

“But, doesn’t that require money?” Theodore’s expression was that of confusion as be lumbered along behind the slender boy. That had been Thomas and William’s problem with going to an apothecary sooner.

“Yes, but we’re not staying with him. We’re going to find a Pit. And we’re going to earn some money.”

 

Theodore’s breath was shaking as he walked through the crowds behind Thomas, a heavy chain now attached to his collar and wrapped around his master’s hand as he lead him through the crowd in the hot, dusty shed. Situated half under ground with a high thatched roof, this Pit was the largest one in the town. There was other, smaller Pits around the area, but they were more for on-the-spot, issue resolving fights.

This was where the big guns were pulled out. Every Friday night, dusk, the travelers and towns folk alike gathered. Although mainly men, there was the rare woman in the crowd. They all gathered and placed their bets, boasted and drank as they tried to talk themselves up. But really, it was the Skrulls that were the centre of attention.

All of them were either changed close to the wall, or hunched at their master’s sides. Theodore had never seen such a sight in all his life and the scars on some of those creature’s faces made him stumble forward, trying to stay closer to Thomas’ side.

He could see some of the Skrulls had their wrists, bound with cuffs similar to the ones he wore around his neck and wrists had been chained to keep them from lashing out and muzzles covering the strong bottom half of their face. And the scars. Skrulls healed at a much faster rate to humans and it took a lot to leave a permanent mark, but some of the grisly, marred faces and shockingly scarred bodies and limbs seemed like stuff of nightmares.

“Yes, I would like to register- Ah, Dammit, Dorrek, watch what you’re doing!”

Theodore’s head snapped up as Thomas’ harsh tone barked his slave name. His shoulders hunched and he bowed his head, lowering his eyes to the ground. They had discussed this. If Thomas called him by his other name it would cause suspicion; they were lucky he had no choice but to remain in his Skrull form whilst they travelled or his half-bred appearance would have given them away instantly.

The man at the registry desk quirked a disapproving eyebrow at the exchange before handing Thomas his papers.

“A disobedient dog like that won’t stand a chance in the Pit. Are you sure you want to reconsider before you lose it?”

Thomas smiled coolly and clenched the papers in his hand tighter, leaning on the desk so his face was inches from the older man’s.

“Oh trust me, losing this thing is the least of my concerns.”

With that little exchange over with, he stood up straight and darted off into the crowd, pulling the chain harder than maybe necessary, making Theodore trip over his hands and fall to the floor, chin first. He scrambled to his feet before Thomas had a chance to turn around and crawled after him, keeping his boy as low to the ground as he could, ear pressed against the side of his head.

The first two contestants were already in the ring as Theodore peered over. Dust and sand, which covered the floor, was flying everywhere as the creatures snarled at each other, collars and restrictors removed. The cage around the ring was reinforced with electrical currents pulsing through every few seconds, that and the fact it was enchanted with similar magic to the restrictors, meant the contestants had no hope of escaping if they were stupid enough to try.

Something clicked in his brain, causing him to look up at his master who refused to look down and meet his eye, in danger of the exchange being noticed. Theodore wouldn’t be wearing his collar or wrist bindings in the arena. He could completely let loose. Suddenly he felt excitement well up in his belly. He hadn’t been able to remove the damn metal ring from his neck in nearly a year and these cuffs cut into his hands as he walked.

He knew he had the upper hand, being half Kree. These Skrulls didn’t stand a chance and he knew it. And so did Thomas. He wanted to thank the white haired boy but refrained. Winning and having him claim the prize that would pay for William’s medicine would be enough. As they took their place in the line, he sat back on his hunches and waited, clawed fingers drumming eagerly in the wooden floor.

The half an hour wait for his turn felt like eternity. The ridiculous, slavering creature beside him had begun to get on his nerves and the way it looked at him like he was meal made his skin crawl. A dark part inside him wished he would be up against it just so he could box it in the ears and keep it from making that irritating whining noise.

He heard the cage door open at the top a few steps and watch as a body, covered with blood and missing an arm, was dragged out and taken outside, followed by a furious looking man, shaking his head. His blood ran cold as he realized he couldn’t tell if the Skrull was alive or not and his head snapped up as he felt his chain tug at his collar. It was his turn.

His initial response was to recoil, try to back away, but then dark hair, amber eyes and a cheeky smile danced through his mind and he dug his claws into the floor boards. He could do this.

He stood obediently at the cage door, keeping his head low and eyes cast down as some men removed his bindings, before he felt a foot against his rear, shoving him in and causing him to land face first into a patch of blood-soaked sand. The cage door creaked shut behind him and he swallowed thickly as a lock clicked into place.

He didn’t get to take a breath before his face was mashed into the sand once again, the hand against the back of his head grasping his blonde hair and grinding him against the ground mercilessly. Choking and kicking out with his legs, Theodore pressed his hands into the gritty ground covering and pushed up, arms expanding as he shifted to give himself more strength before his throwing his head up, head butting the creature above him in the chin.

His eyes watered from the sand caught in them and he coughed up the grit from his mouth as he turned and snarled at the Skrull in front of him. The other’s skin was deep green and his eyes were deep set and dark, almost black, with blood lust. His mouth was smeared with the copper liquid Theodore could only assume was from the previous contestant and his hands was splayed out on the ground in front of him, obviously showing off his abnormally long, sharp claws.

“C’mon darlin’ I’m on a time schedule here.”

His voice made Theodore’s skin shiver and his eyes narrow as his growl intensified. He felt his shoulder guards extend over his biceps as he paced around the pit, eyes never leaving the other’s as he waited for a moment to spring forward and wipe that smarmy look off the other Skrull’s face. He was sick of being looked at like he was a piece of ass in this place.

The suddenly the other stopped and doubled back a step, causing Theodore to stumble a little, and leapt forward, claws taking hold of his shoulder blade and exposed chest, teeth going straight for his neck. The pain was second to none he had ever felt before and he turned and smashed his side against the cage in hopes of battering the creature off of him, but the more he hit, the deeper his claws sunk into his flesh. Theodore could hear to crowd’s cheers and their feet stamp in excitement as his opponent shredded his back and chest and as he felt the rivulets of blood run over his skin he froze, eyes widening and rolling back in his skull.

Silence.

Crack.

More silence.

That warm, wet feeling was back except this time on his hands. The scent of the other Skrull hung thick in the air and caused him to look down. He wasn’t sure what terrified him more. The fact he had blanked out, somehow removed the other from his back and thrown him to the floor, effectively snapping his spine and putting his hands through his chest, or that he was eager to do it again.

He looked up at the stunned crowd, their eyes wide with shock and disbelief that this clumsy; seemingly, dim-witted young Skrull had just decimated the night’s favorite. He met Thomas’ eye, but his master’s expression was blank. He simply observed. Theodore wasn’t sure of it was the act or if he simply didn’t know how to react.

He heard the cage open and decided it was best to worry about that later, considering the body was being dragged out from beneath him and another opponent was being ushered in. This time he didn’t have to wait; the creature simply launched himself at him.

He fought to keep control. Every time his vision began to grow hazy or he would begin to see dazzling white stars, he shook his head, snarling loudly out of frustration. This frustration fueled his temper and this temper wasn’t something he had had to deal with before, making him more and more dangerous. Every contestant was taken out, none of them taking more then a minute to knock out simply because Theodore didn’t wish to go under again. He refused to admit he enjoyed killing that first Skrull, he wasn’t that sort of person and never would be.

Too many thoughts in his head, his wounds, scratches and bite marks stung and ached, not been given time to heal. His body looked like he had rolled in broken glass and his pants were in ribbons. His eyes ached from the sand and dust that kept getting thrown in them and he was sure he had lost a piercing or two. His hair was plastered to his head with blood and mud and his jaw practically hung open as he panted, needing more air than this stuff, overheated shed could provide. And all he could think of was William and the caring tone in his voice betraying the look of disapproval on his face as he saw the state his pants were in.

Every time. Every hit, bite, gouge, kick, scream, curse and whine. His brain instantly flashed back to why he was here, in this God forsaken place.

His mind threatened to drag him under once again as the creature on the opposite side of the pit sprung forward, hands stretch out in front of him, teeth bared, but Theodore simply no longer had the patience. His hand shot up and caught the Skrull’s head in his hand and swing, crushing it against the cage right as an electric pulse ran through it. The impact wouldn’t have been enough to knock it out, but that pulse would have finished the job.

Surely it was over now? His knees were shaking beneath him and his claws dragged through the sand, leaving parallel grooves in their wake. A mix of saliva and blood trickled from his mouth as he hung his head, wheezed, his chest feeling like someone had tightened his carrying harness and then suspended him from it.

He didn’t hear the cage door open and close again. He didn’t look up at his new and final opponent. And he certainly wasn’t prepared for the bone crushing impact of the Kree’s shoulder in his side.

Theodore looked up; his head spinning and jaw still slack. Above him stood a strange creature he hadn’t seen before. Its smooth blue skin and white hair along with its smaller, lithe frame was not like any thing he had seen. Its white eyes stared down at him, emotionless, and suddenly he felt adrenalin rush through his veins again as it dove forward, straightened hand aiming for his chest.

Tossing himself to the side he yelped as he fell heavily on his side. He had been the one attacking this whole time, he hadn’t really need to defend himself, but this Kree was making that strategy harder by the second. The way it ducked and weaved, always seeming to be two steps ahead, had Theodore’s mind scattered, not to mention his fatigue starting to get the best of him.

There as no way he was going to win this, not in the state he was in. You can always give in to it… The voice in his head nudged, as he leapt up, the Kree diving into the sand beneath him, but he still wouldn’t have it.

A hand grabbed his ankle and dragged him back, catching him off guard, and a foot pressed against his chest. The creature reminded Theodore of an insect, cold and detached. On autopilot. The fist that collided with his face sent a spray of blood into the air and his mind reeling. He felt the other hand collide with his other cheek and saw stars in his vision again. The foot on his ribcage shoved down into his solar plexus with every blow, making it harder and harder to breathe and now, he was sure his jaw was broken.

The smell of his blood hung in the air and all the noise around him seemed to fade, as if he was under water, and the lights blurred as his eyes rolled back. And something inside him awoke.

Find a way to neutralize the target.

Stop it from moving.

Its legs, take out its legs.

Snap-

It’s still moving.

Dodge.

Weave.

Grab its wrists

Hold it still.

Neutralize it.

Take it out.

Dorrek!

Its throat; stop the airflow.

Hook with you claws.

Now, pull.

Dorrek! Someone, stop him, now! Get him!

No heart beat.

Enemy deceased.

“Dammit Dorrek, you stupid beast!”

The last thing he needed right now was the weight of three full-grown men a top him. Their weight bore down on his, crushing his lungs once and again, causing him to cry out in pain. A sound contrasting heavily to the vicious snarling he was making barely seconds ago.

That collar was snapped back around his neck as well as he wrist bindings, although, this time, they were chained together and a muzzle was placed over his face, forcing his jaw painfully shut and making his chin press against his chest as the leather and metal binding was fastened to his neck band. Chains were attached and he was tugged out of the ring, the men surrounding it oddly quiet. They once again the young Skrull had defied the odds and pulled through, though leaving dead Kree and fuming owner in his wake.

Theodore let himself be lead out side and his chain fastened to a thick metal bar as the men returned inside. His entire body ached and his tears that had begun to fall mixed with the blood and sand that stuck to his face. He had no idea what had happened in there, no idea how to explain it either.

Thomas was going to be furious. He had just ruined his last chance at getting enough money to help William. Oh William… He hit his head against the bar and huffed out a sob, letting his body sink to the ground. He would never be able to explain himself o that boy. That kind, loving, accepting boy. How would be face him? He didn’t even deserve to with the amount of blood now on his hands. But he had no choice. William and Thomas were his masters. He would not disrespect him by running away, especially when this was his own fault. But he didn’t want to think about what would happen once Thomas came to collect him. If he came to collect him at all. He’d be lucky if the young man didn’t just sell him here and now to the Pit staff and leave him here to rot. The thought made him shudder.

He didn’t bother to look up when he heard the shed doors open.

“Theodore, get up, quick, we’re leaving.”

He blinked, head swiveling as he looked up at Thomas. He had never been so happy to see the arrogant, reckless boy. He resisted the urge to clamber to his feet and pull the teen into a chest-crushing hug as he dragged himself up and stood before his master, head slightly bowed, but his eyes open and waiting for his orders.

Thomas stepped forward, pulling the hat off his head and shoving it in his pocket. He placed his hands on Theodore’s cheeks, thumbs smoothing over the sensitive bruised flesh under his eyes, only just visible above the muzzle. He wasn’t sure if it was his blurred vision, or if Thomas really had tears in his eyes. His next words confirmed the latter.

“Thank you, Skrull. Theodore, thank you so much for what you’ve done. You’ve saved my brother.”

Theodore felt his chest swell with happiness as he shook his head, hardly believing what his master was saying. He wasn’t disgusted or angry, or even scared of him. He was standing here, in front of him, smoothing over his cheeks, thanking him. He just wanted to collapse back onto the ground and sob in relief.

Walking over to he post where Theodore’s chains were locked, Thomas braced his hands, letting the vibrations he emitted cause a small explosion, the lock and a few chain links falling to the ground in pieces. Gathering the linked metal in his hands, he tugged lightly, as to not hurt the Skrull, and lead him away into the night. He had much to prepare before either of them could face William.


End file.
